Kitchen's '906 patent and pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/266,200 filed Jun. 27, 1994 describe large swing type amusement rides. Below follows a brief description of these amusement rides.
The various amusement rides provide a swing type amusement ride for raising one or more riders from a position at or near a support surface aloft to a height of ten meters or more, and then releasing the rider to swing in a curved trajectory for thrill and excitement, but with little or no stress placed on the body of the rider. The amusement ride includes a support structure extending upwardly at least eleven meters above the ground (and as much as several hundred meters or more). The support structure may be a static tower, a static derrick, a static arch, a bridge, other static man-made structures, a crane, naturally occurring geological formations, and the like.
One end of a rider support line is secured to the upper portion of the support structure at a point which is at least eleven meters from the ground, while the second end of the rider support line is secured to a rider securing attachment, to which a rider can be secured during the ride, and then removed, such as harness. In preferred embodiments, one end of a second line, which is used as a stabilization line, is also secured to the upper portion of the support structure, while the second end of the stabilization line is also secured to the harness or other attachment which secures the rider during the ride.
Disposed near the support structure is an upright launch structure having an upper portion which is spaced from the upper portion of the support structure. The launch structure may also be a static tower, a static derrick, a static arch, a bridge, other static man-made structures, a crane, naturally occurring geological formations, man made geological formations, and the like, which have an upper portion which has a height which reaches or exceeds at least eleven meters from the ground (and as much as several hundred meters or more). The upper portion of the launch structure carries a launch line which has a free end which is capable of being lowered and of being raised to a height which reaches or exceeds at least ten meters above the ground. One end of the launch line is designed to be releasably attached to the harness attachment which is releasably secured to the rider. As detailed below, the launch line is capable of raising a rider who is releasably secured to a harness or other attachment to a height of at least ten meters above the ground. The launch line is attached to the release device, preferably a quick release device. The release device, is mounted between the attachment device which carries the rider, and the launch line, preferably in a manner and in a position which allows the rider to release the launch line and begin the swing descent at will.
In operation, in preferred embodiments, the rider is initially in an upright standing position on the ground, or on a stand closely adjacent to the ground, beneath the support structure. The attachment, for example in the form of a body harness, may be secured to the rider by the ride operators at this location or prior to the ride reaching this location. The ride ground crew then attach the support and stabilization lines which are connected to and which depend from the support structure to the body harness attachment of the rider. The ground crew next attaches the launch line which depends from the launch structure to the release device mounted on the body attachment of the rider.
The ride operators then activate the launch line to retract it towards the launch structure at a controlled speed. This causes the rider to be moved laterally from beneath the support structure and towards the launch structure. If the rider is properly connected to the support and/or stabilization lines, then at this time the rider will be raised aloft from the ground, and be suspended from the support structure by the support and/or stabilization lines, and from the launch structure by the launch line. It is to be noted that, as a fail safe measure, if the rider is not properly connected to the support and/or stabilization lines then at this time the rider will be pulled laterally, but will not be immediately raised aloft from the ground, and the operation can be terminated. After the stand on which the rider initially stands is removed, or after the rider is raised aloft by the launch line, he or she is preferably rotated to a prone, face down position by the harness attachment, as detailed below. As the launch line continues to be retracted towards the launch structure at a controlled speed, the rider is raised in a curved path further and further from the ground, towards the launch structure and away from the support structure.
When the rider reaches a predetermined height, preferably ten meters or more above the ground, or when the rider activates the release, the launch line is disconnected from the rider, and the rider begins to fall in a curved trajectory which simulates the sensation of being in "body flight". The resulting sensation, including acceleration to speeds from about seventy to more than eighty kilometers per hour, is similar to hang-gliding and skydiving, including the surge of the wind and the excitement of "ground rush" 2 while approaching and passing close over the ground and objects projecting from the ground at high speeds. The rider then continues to swing back and forth in a curved trajectory underneath the support structure until he or she slows to a speed at which the ride operators may stop and remove him or her from the harness attachment.
As used herein, the "ground" may be an actual ground surface, or a man made surface such as pavement, tarmac, a concrete pad and the like. The height of the structures or of the rider from the ground may be measured with respect to the actual "ground", or to a depression below the structures, such as a river bed, ravine, valley, or the like. As used herein, the portion of the support structure to which the support line is attached, and the portion of the launch structure from which the launch line is attached will always be considered to be the "upper portion" of the structure.
In an alternative mode of operation, the rider may be lifted directly to the top of the launch structure, the harness or other attachment secured to the rider, and the support line and stabilization line secured to the harness or other attachment. Then, the rider may launch him or herself from the launch structure and experience a ride which is similar to that of the preferred embodiment. In such an operation, the support line and stabilization line will be raised to the top of the launch structure by the launch line. This alternative mode of operation will allow the support and stabilization line to have a substantial amount of slack, thus making the initial part of the ride to be vertical, rather than curved, or, by proper calculation of height an elasticity, the use of bungee support and stabilization lines.
In another alternative mode of operation, several riders are fastened to the end of the support line. Each rider wears a harness. Each harness is connected to the end of the support line. The riders can share the excitement and thrill of flying.
In another alternative mode of operation, several riders are fastened to a solid saucer structure. Four parallel support lines approximately 100 meters long secure the saucer to a support structure. The saucer is lifted with a launch line approximately 100 meters to a launch structure then released, in much the same way as the single rider embodiment. In preferred embodiments, a second set of four parallel lines are used for stabilization.
The solid saucer embodiment has been nicknamed the Sky Saucer. Some Sky Saucer plans call for saucers holding over sixty passengers. Stopping a saucer of this weight by only using rubber tires and brake working on the limited braking runway of the loading platform for the passengers would take many pendulum oscillations. Additionally, tires and brakes would wear out frequently. Finally smells from braking mechanisms and tires would be offensive.
The main problem addressed by the present invention is how to damp the pendulum motion of the huge Sky Saucer from the pendulum's pivot point. No known prior art ever addressed a problem of this nature. Below follows a brief summary of the closest known related art.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,024 (1933) to V. Stanzel discloses an amusement ride having an airplane mounted on a rotating balance arm. The balance arm has a weight 13 which can be moved to accommodate various passenger weight loads.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,172,451 (1939) to Lowers discloses a vertical tower having a top passenger compartment. The vertical pivots in a pendulum fashion into a left and right horizontal position. A counterbalance weight is adjusted to compensate for varying passenger weights.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,548 (1940) to Hemmingsen discloses an amusement car and circular concave track ride. The car moves around the track as it rotates around a support pole. The car travels up the side of the track at speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,788 (1975) to Harris discloses an amusement ride which is basically a giant see-saw. An adjustable counterbalance allows a rider to vault to a height of twenty of more feet in a weightless state at the end of a pendulum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,566 (1993) to Bohme discloses a looping swing suspended in a pendulum fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,383 (1994) to Fabbu discloses a collapsible rocking ship type swing ride. A counterbalance folds inward by a gear connection to the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,906 (1993) to Kitchen et al. discloses the Sky Fun body flight ride.